The Mexican and American governments have been intimidated into backing off the investigation into the Sept. 30 shooting of American jet skier David Hartley on Falcon Lake, Texas Rep. Ted Poe said Monday.

Diana Carlton/Hearst Newspapers

Rep. Ted Poe

In an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper, the Humble Republican said the subsequent murder and beheading of the top Mexican investigator on the case by the Zeta drug cartel has effectively halted the probe.

“That was a message to the Mexican government and the American government that the Zetas have control of Falcon Lake,” along the Texas-Mexico border, he said. “So far it has been successful.”

Poe spoke of widespread corruption in Mexican law enforcement

“Mexico has a horrible record of solving these (drug cartel) murders,” Poe said.

“They’re just doing a lot of talking at this point… I don’t suspect that it [the search] will resume at all.”

Poe said the chance of recovering Hartley’s body “looks very bleak at this point.”

“The Zetas will only allow a body to found if they want it to be,” the former Texas judge said.

The Texas lawmaker also was pessimistic about hopes for reform of the Mexican justice system. In many places, he said, “law enforcement is corrupt or incompetent.”